Beware of copper-clad aluminium communications cables

Copper-clad aluminium (CCA) has been used in electrical cable for many years, being engineered to provide lightweight reticulation solutions appropriate to specific applications. However, the electrical and communications industries should be aware that CCA is not engineered for use in telecommunications and data cables.

Such a warning goes out because communications cables containing CCA conductors have recently been found in the Australian marketplace.

The fact that this is a concern is highlighted by a recent warning from the telecommunications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), who has publicly stated that CCA cables do not comply with its mandated industry standards.

As reports about category 5 and category 6 cables containing CCA conductors came into the regulator from the market, the ACMA conducted a series of compliance operations, only to discover the widespread use of CCA communications cables. Such cables are not from reputable cable manufacturers, who do not use CCA conductors in their communications cables. Typically, such cables have come into Australia from obscure offshore cable manufacturers who have little regard for network integrity, performance or compliance.

The ACMA is emphatic in stating that CCA communications cables are not compliant with Australian telecommunications cabling standards and cannot be used as telecommunications customer cable in Australia.

The ACMA notice states: “Due to the nature of its construction, CCA cable cannot comply with section 5.6.6 of the mandated telecommunications standards (AS/ACIF S008:2006 or AS/CAS008:2010 ‘Requirements for customer cabling products’). As CCA cabling cannot comply with the mandated standards, it cannot be legitimately labelled with the mandatory Australian compliance mark.

“Using CCA cable as customer cabling can have consequences ranging from relatively minor to catastrophic. Due to its higher resistance, compared to copper cable (as mandated by the standards), CCA installations may suffer degraded data throughput for similar length cable runs. With the proliferation of devices powered via ethernet, the use of CCA cable will result in increased power dissipation in the cable that could result in the cable properties degrading and overheating.”

Under the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Act), there are several offences that apply to the supply or installation of CCA cable for customer cabling, which come with penalities exceeding $10,000.The severity of the penalties makes it clear that CCA communications cable are expressly forbidden for use as customer cabling within Australia. Anyone having information about its supply, use or installation should contact the ACMA.